Abstract
The torsional rigidities of a bulb stiffener and an “equivalent angle” stiffener are examined for the influence of the following parameters: end restraint; position of shear centre from enforced centre of rotation; web distortion; axial load; and distance between restraints.
An effective normal, rotational restraint is evaluated for a stiffened panel in a system of panels, and a loss of plating effectiveness is obtained for three types of initial distortion of the panels.
The study shows, for the configurations examined, that the cross-sectional shape of the stiffeners has very little effect on plate effectiveness, and that plate effectiveness is significantly increased by intermediate supports and is very sensitive to the form of the initial deformation.
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